Bees must never be bought with ordinary money, only gold coin. Acquisition by gift. loan or barter is permissible. “If you wish your bees to thrive, gold must be paid for every hive. For when they’re bought with other money there will be neither swarm nor honey”. [1871]
If a bee flies into your home, it foretells the visit of a stranger. The length of time it stays denotes the length of your visitor’s stay. It can also be a sign of expected good fortune, but must leave on its own accord or the luck will be destroyed.
When moving bees, it is unlucky to carry them across a stream – as they will die. [1899]
“He who steals bees, steals from himself good luck as Stolen bees never prosper.”
It is unlucky for bees to swarm upon dead wood. Some believe the bees will die, others that there will be a death in the family within a year.
It is unlucky to count your beehives, or to remove bees from one hive to another, except on Good Friday. [1911]
If moving bees to a new hive, you must knock 3 times on the top of the old hive to tell them they have a new home, otherwise they may sting you.
The bees must be told of any changes in the family such as births, weddings and deaths. Some food from a wedding or funeral should be offered to the bees. Failure to do so, could cause the bees to stop production of honey, abandon the hive or die.
When the beekeeper has died, the bees have to be "put into mourning" - this would often be done by a family member who would gently knock on the hive and whisper or softly sing to the bees that their keeper has died. By doing this, the bees would then accept the new beekeeper.